Instant Pot Mediterranean Chicken
This Instant Pot Mediterranean Chicken Recipe is so effortlessly delicious. All you need to do is focus on picking yummy sides and garnishes while your Instant Pot does the rest! This recipe is actually the happy accident of me stumbling across the amazingness of Persian food content creator Zoya Biglary on Instagram, being inspired, AND simultaneously, having some ingredients in the fridge that were calling for attention 🙂
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If you’re in the mood for chicken, some of our fave recipes are: Chicken Orzo Bake, our Panzanella Toscana Salad, and Orange Sesame Chicken with Cauliflower Egg Fried Rice.
Why We Love this Recipe
- Crowd-pleaser! I’ve made this many times, for different groups of people, and everyone always loves it…even the kids.
- Simple! Every step in this recipe is easy. You’re just mixing chicken with stuff and setting it aside, making couscous (as you would rice or pasta), and then letting the Instant Pot do the rest!
- Fun to garnish! Serve with crumbled feta cheese, fresh herbs, a variety of veggies (cut cucumber, sliced red bell pepper, cut carrots, broccoli, peas, you name it), and different sauces (Tzatziki, hummus, hot sauce, etc).
🛒 Ingredients & Substitutions
Notes on key ingredients are provided below. Please see the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and quantities.
Yogurt – We used full-fat, plain Greek yogurt for a richer flavor and thicker texture, but you could use a lower-fat.
Seasonings – Garlic powder, turmeric, paprika, salt and pepper were a great combo. While you should definitely use turmeric, you could play around with other complimentary Mediterranean seasonings, like: cumin, coriander, oregano, thyme, rosemary and parsley.
Lemon juice – Juice half a lemon or use 1 – 2 Tablespoons pre-squeezed lemon juice.
Chicken – We used roughly 2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat and cut into roughly 1″ chunks. But you could also use chicken thighs or another boneless, skinless cut.
Broth – Chicken broth makes the most sense but you could also use Vegetable broth or even water. We love the Better than Bouillon brand because it’s compact, comes in a glass jar (plastic-free), produces less waste than bouillon cubes, and you can get it in almost any flavor. Not sponsored by them…we just really like it.
Couscous – We love Israeli couscous (aka Pearl couscous) but you could also make regular couscous, rice (Basmati or any kind really), or even a small pasta.
🧑🏽🍳 Instructions
STEP 1: Set Instant Pot to sauté mode at normal heat with the lid off (to pre-heat). Then combine yogurt, seasonings, lemon juice and chicken in a large bowl, and set aside.
STEP 2: Now make your couscous! Bring chicken broth to a boil, add couscous, reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes. Uncover and fluff.
STEP 3: Press cancel on Instant Pot and add yogurt chicken into the inner pot. Close/secure lid and turn valve to sealed. Set to cook for 5 minutes at high pressure.
STEP 4: Once time is up, open the valve all the way to release the pressure. Once all the steam has released and the pin has dropped, remove the lid. It’s ready!
🥗 How to Serve
Serve this Instant Pot Mediterranean Chicken in a plate or bowl with couscous, with your choice of sides and garnishes. Here’s what we did: sprinkle chopped tomato and feta on top, with a dollop of Tzatziki and cut cucumbers alongside. Another time I made this, I briefly sautéed some bell pepper with oil, salt and pepper and had that as a delicious side, along with hummus and pita chips. You could also add chopped herbs atop (like dill, cilantro or parsley) and/or serve with cut carrots, peas or steamed broccoli. Lots of options! Yummmm!
✔️ Expert Tips and Tricks
- Don’t skip putting your Instant Pot in sauté mode (Step 1). Doing this preheats the pot and definitely saves you time. Very important: make sure the lid is off while in sauté mode!
- If you have time and want even more flavorful chicken, start marinating the chicken the night before (Step 1), keeping it in the fridge covered overnight (for no more than 24 hours).
- If you don’t have Pearl/Israeli Couscous, you can also make any rice, regular couscous, or a small pasta.
- When your chicken is done cooking, open the valve carefully (steam is hot!) with either a natural release or a quick release. Same end result, but because natural release takes a lot longer, we did quick release. Btw, don’t be alarmed that quick release will make a very loud sound.
- Chicken is fully cooked at 165°. Thermoworks has a super accurate meat thermometer to check.
Tips for Picky Eaters
I gotta be honest – I made this chicken for some VERY picky eaters and they liked it. But, you never know. So, here are a couple tips:
- You can’t go wrong with a friendly starch on the side. My kids are divided on couscous, so sometimes I’ve made this with rice instead.
- I can’t recommend enough having a surefire veggie alongside this chicken. Cucumber is always a big hit at our house (here’s a fun way to cut cucumbers), so that’s what we did. But you could also do cut carrots, steamed broccoli…whatever your kids will actually eat. My kids love to eat frozen peas…frozen! So you can always try that weird tip, haha.
- If your kiddo will eat hummus, have some hummus and pita chips on the side. The flavor profile matches the chicken, and hummus will help your kiddos get some veggies.
❓FAQ
Yes! You can marinate the chicken ahead of time, refrigerating covered for no more than 24 hours. Though I would recommend doing the Instant Pot cooking and making the couscous when you’re actually ready to eat.
You can store the chicken leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5-ish days. The couscous will keep in the fridge in a sealed container for a few days, but it tends to clump together. So, I would recommend making couscous fresh, alongside the chicken leftovers.
Yes! Combine the yogurt, seasonings, lemon juice and chicken, and let marinate at room temp for a little bit (refrigerate if longer than 45 minutes). Add chicken to a heated pan and cook on medium for 5-10 minutes, stirring often, until fully cooked (at 165°).
Craft For This Recipe
Lemon Paper Fan
Celebrate lemons with this super cute lemon paper fan! Made with just construction paper and kabob sticks, it’s an easy, breezy summer kids craft!
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💛 Instant Pot Mediterranean Chicken
Equipment
- Large bowl
- medium pot with lid
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Greek yogurt (full fat)
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 lemon, juiced (or 1 to 2 Tbsps lemon juice)
- 2 lbs chicken breasts, boneless & skinless (cut into roughly 1" chunks)
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups Israeli couscous (aka Pearl couscous)
- feta (optional)
- chopped tomato (optional)
- Tzatiki sauce (optional)
Instructions
- To preheat your Instant Pot, set to sauté mode at normal heat with the lid off. Then, in a large bowl, combine yogurt, seasonings, lemon juice and chicken, and set aside to marinate.
- Meanwhile, start making your couscous. Bring 3 cups of chicken broth to a boil, add 2 cups of couscous, reduce heat to low, and cover. Simmer covered for 10 minutes. Uncover and fluff.
- Press cancel on Instant Pot and add yogurt chicken mix into the inner pot. Close and secure the lid, and turn the valve to sealed. Set to cook for 5 minutes at high pressure.
- Once time is up, open the valve all the way to release the pressure, with a quick release. Once all the steam has released and the pin has dropped, remove the lid.Serve chicken in a plate or bowl with couscous. Optional – sprinkle chopped tomato and feta on top, with Tzatziki and cut cucumbers alongside.
Notes
- Chicken breasts ↔ thighs or any boneless cut
- Seasoning options: garlic powder, turmeric, paprika, salt, black pepper, cumin, coriander, oregano, thyme, rosemary, parsley
- Pearl/Israeli couscous ↔ rice, regular couscous, small pasta
- Chicken broth ↔ vegetable broth, water
- Don’t skip sauté mode in Step 1. Doing this preheats the pot and saves time. Very important: make sure the lid is off while in sauté mode!
- If you have time and want even more flavorful chicken, marinate chicken the night before and refrigerate covered overnight (for no more than 24 hours).
- When your chicken is done cooking, you can open the valve carefully (steam is hot!) with either a natural release or a quick release. Same result, but natural release is slower. Don’t be alarmed that quick release will be very loud.
- Chicken is fully cooked at 165°. Thermoworks has a super accurate meat thermometer to check.
Nutrition
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
